Xavier vs Creighton Pick – Basketball Predictions & Odds 3/10/23

The Creighton Bluejays and Xavier Musketeers meet Friday in the college basketball Big East Tournament Semifinal at Madison Square Garden. Let’s preview this game and give out a pick and prediction.

The Creighton Bluejays are averaging 76.8 points on 46.9 percent shooting and allowing 67.9 points on 42 percent shooting. Ryan Kalkbrenner is averaging 15.1 points and 6.3 rebounds, while Trey Alexander is averaging 13.7 points and 4.1 rebounds. Baylor Scheierman is the third double-digit scorer and Arthur Kaluma is grabbing 6.2 rebounds. The Creighton Bluejays are shooting 35.8 percent from beyond the arc and 76 percent from the free throw line. The Creighton Bluejays are allowing 33.5 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 35 rebounds per game.

The Xavier Musketeers are averaging 82.1 points on 50 percent shooting and allowing 74.5 points on 44.3 percent shooting. Souley Boum is averaging 16.8 points and 4.2 rebounds, while Colby Jones is averaging 15.3 points and 5.3 rebounds. Zach Freemantle is the third double-digit scorer and Jack Nunge is dishing 2 assists. The Xavier Musketeers are shooting 39.8 percent from beyond the arc and 71.7 percent from the free throw line. The Xavier Musketeers are allowing 36.1 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 34.8 rebounds per game.

The Bluejays are 10-2 ATS in their last 12 neutral site games and 10-4 ATS in their last 14 Friday games. The Musketeers are 7-2-1 ATS in their last 10 Friday games. The over is 4-0 in Bluejays last 4 overall. The over is 4-0 in Musketeers last 4 overall. The underdog is 14-6 ATS in the last 20 meetings.

You can make a case for either team here, but the Xavier Musketeers in the underdog role is hard to turn down. Xavier is a feisty, tough-minded team that doesn’t go down quietly and loses as underdogs by an average of just 0.6 points. Give me Xavier and whatever points I can get in what should be a fun Big East clash.